eather
onight: Clear and windy,
ow 13.
omorrow: Partly sunny,
igh 34°.
I
wei
r
One /undredfrve years of editorialfreedom
Untt
f
Tuesday
March 26, 1996
t
j .-I
Law pr
Group's four proposals
tackle school's racial
atmosphere
y Heather Miller
Staff Reporter
embers of the Ad Hoc Committee
n Issues of Race, Gender and Sexual-
ty gathered in Hutchins Hall yesterday
o tabulate results from an open roll call
f Law School faculty on the issue of
he school's racial atmosphere.
The roll call, submittedto faculty mem-
ers Thursday, is a response to four pro-
osals the committee presented to faculty
ndadministrationin ameetinglastweek.
proposals came in the aftermath of a
written racial epithet directed at assistant
Law Prof. Lance Jones during spring
ifs. say 'no' to proposals
break. Many students said they believe
this attack is an example ofthe prevalence
of racial problems in the Law School.
The four proposals include appointing
a Director of Diversity, creating a Stand-
ing Committee on Educational Environ-
ment, conducting an independent, out-
side review of the Law School, and hiring
more minority faculty members.
Law second-year student Amanda
Smith said the committee believes a
roll call is "the best way to gauge sup-
port for the proposals."
"Faculty members often rely on col-
lective responses, so it's therefore diffi-
,cultto gauge support," Smith said. "We
wanted to give faculty members who
supported us a chance to voice their
support publicly."
Law second-year student Kaethe
Hoffer said the open roll call also dem-
onstrates to the faculty that these pro-
posals are important.
"We wanted to make it clear that our
proposals deserved response," she said.
Law third-year student Cynthia
Rincon agreed.
"What's more important to us than a
'yes' or 'no' is to be responsible enough
to address the issue," Rincon said.
The roll call asked faculty members
to check a box indicating a "yes" or
"no" in support of all the proposals.
Failure to mark the ballot was consid-
ered a "no." Responses were due by
noon, yesterday.
"These proposals demand permanent
additions to the Law School adminis-
tration," the ballot read. "The Ad Hoc
Committee recognizes that faculty and
administrative support is vital to the
implementation of these changes."
The committee posted the response
of each faculty member outside Room
100 in Hutchins Hall.
Thirteen faculty members voted yes;
33 voted no - which included faculty
members who did not respond - and
20 faculty members commented on the
proposals, but did not specifically sup-
port or reject them.
Jones said he supports the proposals
and believes they can improve the at-
mosphere of the Law School.
"By and large, I believe in these pro-
posals," he said.
However, Law Prof. Edward Cooper
rejected the committee's ideas.
"The issues are very complicated,"
See RACE, Page 2
SARA STILLMAN/Daily
Law student Jeannine Bell discusses goals, issues and plans at a meeting In
Hutchins Hall yesterday. The Ad Hoc Committee on Issues of Race, Gender and
Sexuality met to discuss the racial atmosphere in the Law School.
LENDING A
'U' students
wait n line for
rking mom
By Will Weissert
Staff Reporter
As if working three jobs, taking a course at the University
and raising a family on her own weren't hard enough, the last
thing Rosemary Metz needs is to camp out for more than two
weeks to get her daughter into high school.
But with the generosity of a small group of University
students, Metz's round-the-clock commitment to getting her
daughter Liza into Community High School's class of 2000
is no longer a nightmare.
University students Becky Bliss, Jason Blazar, Francine
Cartwright, Jon Boezinger, Rachel Holmes, Renee Marie
4czek, Jae-Jae Spoon and others were quick to answer
z's call for help during a class Thursday night.
"I was a wreck when I went to class that night," Metz said.
'I voiced my problem, but I never expected this turnout. The
response was so wonderful."
Metz and her family have been waiting in line around the
clock since March 17 at the Ann Arbor Public Schools' Balas
Administration Building on State Street. The marathon camp-
out is to ensure that her daughter Liza, who is currently an
eighth-grader at Emerson Middle School, will be able to
attend Community High School next year.
"The whole process that she has to go through is a little
iculous, but out of principle students volunteered to help
out a working mom," said Bliss, an LSA junior who volun-
teered to wait in line for the Metzes yesterday afternoon. "I
was surprised so many students responded as fast as they
did."
The Metzes were hoping to be one of the lucky families
whose names were drawn last Thursday in a lottery that
distributed 50 of the 100 slots available for incoming first-
year students.
But their name was not drawn, and now there is nothing
left to do but wait in line until April 1, when the final 50 slots
l be given out based on students' position in line.
See LINE, Page 2
,.{'
MSA hopefuls focus
on campus parking
By Laurie Mayk
Daily Staff Reporter
Charged hundreds of dollars in parking tickets
and circling Angell Hall for hours, students have
learned the hard way that parking space is sparse
on campus. Several candidates for the Michigan
Student Assembly include plans to increase stu-
dent parking availability as part of their platforms
for this week's election.
"Students are picking up the short end of the
stick here in terms of where they get to park," said
Fiona Rose, Michigan Party presidential candi-
date.
Rose said she has contacted students, Univer-
sity administrators, campus housing and the Ann
Arbor Downtown Development Authority to dis-
cuss the possibility of building new parking struc-
tures on campus. Rose suggested designating ar-
eas across the street from Palmer Field, behindthe
Student Publications Building and the current lot
on South Forest Avenue for the structures.
While several candidates suggested including
a parking space in the room-and-board package
sold to students who live in residence halls,
Housing Public Affairs and Marketing Manager
Dana Fair said space is tight and under Univer-
sity control.
"Housing would like to have a hand in that, but
it is more-or less dictated by the University as a
whole," Fair said.
Unless the University Board of Regents is will-
ing to fund the project, implementing a student fee
to raise the money for a new parking structure is
an option, Rose said.
Independent presidential candidate Geoff
Tudisco said a student fee for that purpose would
be acceptable only if students have the option of
deciding whether to pay it each semester.
Tudisco also suggested the University charge a
quarter each hour or half hour for parking to
finance the building's first few years.
Students' Party presidential candidate Jonathan
Freeman said the first priority in solving the
problem should be to convince the administration
of the need for student parking, not to charge
students.
"I don't think that charging students first is the
best way to go," Freeman said.
The Students' Party platform includes an initia-
tive to open staff and faculty lots for free student
use after business hours.
"This would help make the University a little
safer," said Olga Savic, Students' Party vice presi-
dential candidate. "Instead of parking in a dark
neighborhood, they can park in a lighted parking
lot."
The Wolverine Party has targeted the staff and
faculty parking lots as a possible solution this
past year, said Wolverine Party presidential can-
didate Andy Schor. Wolverine Party member
Bryan Theis organized a group of students who
"observed staff-paid parking lots and observed
how may parking spots were empty each day,"
Schor said.
As a result of this study, the University con-
verted several of these parking spaces into meter
spaces, Schor said. The Wolverine Party sug-
gested limiting restricted parking hours to 8 a.m.-
5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
"This is something where we have to convince
the administration to let go of faculty-paid park-
ing," Schor said.
No other parties who have candidates running
for MSA posts addressed student parking in their
platform statements.
SARA STILLMAN/Daily
LSA junior Becky Bliss is one of seven tudents volunteering to wait in line for
Rosemary Metz. The cold weather drove many to wait inside their cars. Behind her
Is the make-shift camp set up by families.
I
I
TA training strives to improve quality of'U' education
By Jodi Cohen
Daily Staff Reporter
While undergraduate students often com-
plain about their graduate student instruc-
tors, evaluations show there is not much
difference in the way students rank their
professors and GSls.
"There doesn't seem to be any gross differ-
ence between how
graduate student in-
structors and faculty are
ranked," said Lincoln
Faller, LSA associatet
dean for undergraduate
education. "On aver-
age, I don't think we
are teaching badly here
by the estimation ofstu- I
dents."
But Faller also said
that not all classes re- In Undei
ceive complimentary
evaluations.
"I do know that I oc-
casionally see instances Yeserday: Livlnga
where the teaching is *Today: Graduate ins
not at all satisfactory," *Tomorrow: Languag
he said. "That is the case eThursday: Communi
sometimes of people *Friday: The influenc
not being appropriately
mentored as teachers."
-. «_V.++ - --(iTirrnia
by graduate students in it. They didn't find it
useful," Faller said. "It was hard to have a
program that met the needs of students in all
the departments.
"What you need to know to teach a lab
course is very different from what you need to
know to teach a history course."
The Center for Research on Learning and
Teaching will continue to
help departments with
their training sessions.
"There are some de-
partments that do excel-
lent TA training right now
So Qand others do very little,"
said Connie Cook, the di-
rector ofCRLT. "It is our
job to help them create or
enhance TA training pro-
tz grams.",
graduate. The math and English
departments have long-
ati o n standingprograms,which
haveservedasmodels for
ning programs other disciplines, Cook
ructor training said.
study initiatives Cook agreed that de-
y service learning partmental training will
of technology be more effective because
classes require different
types of skills.
The following were winners at last
night's 68th Annual Academy
Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif.:
Best Picture:
"Braveheart"
Best Actor:
Nicolas Cage,
"Leaving Las Vegas"
Best Acts
Susan ndon,
"Dead IfanWalking"
Best Director
Mel Gibson,
3"Bravehear
Best o
Actor:
Kevin Spacey,
"The Usual Suspects"
Best Supporting
Actress:
Mira Sorvino,
"Mighty Aphrodite"
Best Original
istr
age
n ity
ice
SARA STILLMAN/Daily
Graduate Student Instructor Audril Pallanytsia (right), who teaches political science,
discusses a paper with Engineering first-year student Ala Saket.
attended CRLT workshops. "You want to
do as much as you can generally, but there is
a lot of practical experience you can get
Faller said continual development for in-
structors at all levels can make a department
more cohesive.
Ma.th department instructor Patricia Shure
I